National Human Genome Research Institute

National Institutes of Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Human Genome Research Institute Initial Review Group Charter

Purpose

The Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) is mandated under Section 301 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 241), to support through grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts, research relating to human genome research. In addition, the Secretary is authorized under Section 487 of the PHS Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 288), to support research and research training through National Research Service Awards.

The National Human Genome Research Institute Initial Review Group (Initial Review Group) reviews grant and cooperative agreement applications and contract proposals for research projects and for research and training activities in areas relevant to the Human Genome Project, including construction of genetic maps, development of physical maps, determination of DNA sequences, management and analysis of the resulting data, development of innovative technologies required to achieve these goals, and development of tools and resources supportive of this effort, as well as in areas relevant to the ethical, legal, and social implications of the Human Genome Project.

Authority

42 U.S.C. 282(b)(6), Section 402(b)(6) of the PHS Act, as amended. The Initial Review Group is governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), which sets forth standards for the formation and use of advisory committees.

Function

The Initial Review Group shall advise the Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Director, National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), on the scientific and technical merit of applications for grants-in-aid for research, research training, or research-related grants and cooperative agreements, or contract proposals relating to scientific areas relevant to the Human Genome Project, including construction of genetic maps, development of physical maps, determination of DNA sequences, management and analysis of the resulting data, development of innovative technologies required to achieve these goals, and development of tools and resources supportive of this effort, as well as applications and proposals that address the ethical, legal, and social implications of the Human Genome Project.

The members shall survey, as scientific leaders, the status of research and research training in their fields.

As necessary, the Initial Review Group and its subcommittees may seek advice from special consultants.

Members shall be invited to serve for overlapping terms of up to four years; the term for a member who is to serve as Chair may include a fifth year.

As necessary, standing and ad hoc subcommittees of the Initial Review Group, composed of members from the parent committee, may be established to perform specific functions within the Initial Review Group's jurisdiction. The Department Committee Management Officer shall be notified upon establishment of each standing subcommittee and shall be provided information on its name, membership, function, and estimated frequency of meetings.

The Chairs of each subcommittee may be designated as Cochairs for the Initial Review Group as a whole and upon approval by the subcommittee Chair, the advice of the subcommittee shall be considered the advice of the Committee.

A member of one subcommittee may serve as a voting member of other subcommittees when that member's expertise is required. However, that member shall not be counted in determining the presence of a quorum.

The permanent membership of the Initial Review Group may be supplemented at any meeting through temporary members who, because of their scientific expertise, are appointed to review some or all of the applications considered at that meeting. Notification to the prospective temporary members from the Designated Federal Official that the individual is to attend the meeting shall constitute a temporary appointment to the committee for purposes of that meeting, and the individual shall have all the rights and obligations of committee membership at that meeting, including the right to vote on recommendations in which the individual fully participated as a reviewer. Temporary members will be included in the tracking of reviewers with respect to geographical distribution and ethnic and gender representation to ensure that appropriate balance of members' perspectives may be maintained. Temporary members shall not count toward a quorum.

A quorum for the conduct of business by the full Initial Review Group is five members. A quorum for each subcommittee shall be five members.

Management and support services shall be provided by Office of Scientific Review, NHGRI.

Meetings

The full Initial Review Group shall meet in plenary session, as necessary, as called by the Chair with advance approval of a Government official, who shall approve the agenda. Meetings of the subcommittees shall be held approximately three times per year at the call of the Chair, with the advance approval of a Government official who shall also approve the agenda. A Government official shall be present at all meetings of the Initial Review Group and of the subcommittees.

Meetings shall be open to the public unless determined otherwise by the Secretary; notice of all meetings shall be given to the public.

Meetings shall be conducted and records of the proceedings kept as required by applicable laws and departmental policies.

Compensation

Members shall be paid at the rate of $200 per day, plus per diem and travel expenses in accordance with Standard Government Travel Regulations. Members who are officers or employees of the United States shall not receive compensation for service on the Initial Review Group.

Annual Cost Estimate

The estimated annual cost for operating the Initial Review Group, including compensation and travel expenses for members but excluding staff support is $77,304. The estimate of annual person-years of staff support required is 0.8, at an estimated annual cost of $60,293.

Reports

In the event a portion of a meeting is closed to the public, a report shall be prepared which shall contain, as a minimum, a list of members and their business addresses, the Initial Review Group's functions, dates, and places of meetings, and a summary of Initial Review Group activities and recommendations made during the fiscal year. A copy of the report shall be provided to the Department Committee Management Officer.